Roadblock Hits Stephen Colbert Campaign for President -- A Commie Plot?

By: E&P Staff and The Associated Press Comedian Stephen Colbert has been saying he'll be running a presidential campaign in early voting South Carolina -- and he'll be reaching millions of voters Sunday when he appears on NBC's "Meet the Press" -- but he may have trouble getting on a ballot.

And he may face Federal Election Commission sanctions, as well.

Democratic Party rules require a candidate to be deemed a viable contender to gain access to the ballot for the tentatively scheduled Jan. 26 primary. Republicans won't let a candidate alter his application, which Colbert may have done on his TV show when he struck out part of a statement saying he would not violate election law.

Colbert, a South Carolina native, announced his intention to run for the White House on his Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report" this week, saying he would run only in this key primary state.

Besides the viable-candidate qualification, South Carolina Democrats also say a candidate must have actively campaigned in the state to get on the ballot.

That would seem to be a problem for Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio congressman, and Mike Gravel, a former Alaska senator, as well as for the comedian.

Colbert said he planned to run both as a Democrat and as a Republican - so he could lose twice.

The GOP doesn't have a requirement for how much a candidate must campaign in the state or whether he has a chance to win. State GOP Chairman Katon Dawson said altering the candidacy application is one of the few things that can keep someone off the ballot.

Apart from that, Dawson said the party's ballot is open. "We trust the Republican primary voters to decide who is serious or not," he said.

As for the Democrats, according to state party chairwoman Carol Fowler, the interpretation of "viable" will be up to the party's executive council.

The rules could be a problem for candidates like Kucinich and Gravel, who took part in South Carolina debates but are rarely, if ever, seen on the campaign trail here.

"I obviously think it's completely unfair," said Chris Walker, a co-coordinator for the Ohio congressman's campaign in South Carolina.

Meanwhile, Colbert could face action from the Federal Election Commission if the comedian continues to promote the run on the cable network -- due to laws barring corporate campaign contributions, Politico.com reported Friday. It may hinge on whether his candidacy is viewed as a complete, or only partial, "joke."

At the web site for The Atlantic magazine, Joshua Green has done a lengthy probe of Colbert's actual chances for victory. He reports, for one thing, "The U.S. Census bureau says South Carolina has about 1.4 percent of the nation?s population, which would suggest that Colbert has about 12,200 viewers there. Not huge numbers. But let?s remember that primaries tend to draw fewer, but more highly motivated, voters than general elections. And let?s assume that Colbert?s viewers?pardon me, his 'heroes'?are highly motivated and will turn out in force for their man."